Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an investigative subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America on November 10, 2026. His office is examining whether the group accepted contributions or other support from foreign sources of concern, including the regimes in Cuba and China. The move comes under state laws that bar organizations soliciting money from Florida residents from taking funds from certain adversarial governments.
Today my office issued a subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America. We’re examining foreign contributions—including from Cuba and China—tied to their delegations and travel fund solicitations.
FL law requires transparency. We will hold those who break the law accountable. https://t.co/Xu8MUoDwZb
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 10, 2026
What Triggered the Subpoena
Uthmeier’s office is looking at recent DSA delegations to Cuba and China, along with the fundraising that paid for them. DSA members have traveled to Cuba multiple times in recent years. In 2023, some met privately with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. In October 2025, a larger group of about 40 members, including national leaders, went to the island, met with government officials, and delivered what the group called solidarity aid. A separate small delegation traveled to China in September 2025 around commemorations of the end of World War II. Travel-fund solicitations connected to these trips and related Florida chapter activities sought tens of thousands of dollars from donors.
Florida law, strengthened in recent years and effective in mid-2025, lists China, Cuba, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and others as foreign countries of concern. Organizations that raise money from people in the state are prohibited from accepting contributions from those sources. Uthmeier said Floridians who give to groups operating in the state have a right to know where the money comes from and how it is used. He stated that his office will not allow foreign adversaries to influence Florida through the back door of nonprofit fundraising. The subpoena was issued under the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and rules governing the solicitation of funds. It seeks documents on the delegations, the travel funds, and related financial activity involving Florida chapters.
I joined Hannity to discuss our investigation into the Democratic Socialists of America. https://t.co/2DGoZog2RS
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 11, 2026
How the Attorney General Sees the Risk
Uthmeier has described the inquiry as a straightforward check on transparency and compliance. He told interviewers there is evidence the organization received funding and things of value from adversarial regimes. The investigation is not a finding of guilt; it is a demand for records to determine whether the law was broken. If investigators find prohibited foreign money, in-kind support that amounts to a contribution, or misleading fundraising from Florida donors, the office has said it will enforce the statutes. Possible remedies under the relevant laws include civil penalties, injunctions, and other accountability measures aimed at the organization.
The timing is notable. The subpoena arrived a week after the first DSA-backed candidate won a seat in the Florida Legislature. Uthmeier himself had just won his own race for attorney general by a narrow margin. Supporters of the probe argue that groups which repeatedly send high-level members to meet officials of communist regimes, while raising money inside Florida for those trips, invite legitimate questions about the source of the funds. Critics of the group have long pointed to its open solidarity with the Cuban government and its willingness to engage Chinese counterparts as evidence of an ideological alignment that does not stop at the water’s edge.
What Happens Next
The DSA has said it is aware of the subpoena and has no comment at this time. The organization will be required to produce the requested documents. Failure to comply can itself trigger further legal steps. Uthmeier’s office has indicated it will follow the facts wherever they lead. If the records show that money or material support from Havana or Beijing reached the group, or that Florida donors were not given a clear picture of how their contributions were used, the state has tools to act. If the books are clean, the inquiry ends without charges. Either way, the public will learn more about how an American socialist organization finances its close contacts with governments that the state of Florida has designated as sources of concern.
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